A huge investment by by Macallan’s owner, the Edrington Group, the new distillery is has opened and started producing whisky since last December, the distillery will open its doors to the public on June 2.

Located within the spiraling mountains of Speyside, the new, state-of-the-art Macallan distillery is the centrepiece of a £500 million investment by the Edrington Group.

The new Macallan distillery, with meadow rooftop.

Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the team behind London’s Millenium Dome, this gorgeous Macallan distillery cements its status as the world’s top luxury whisky brand.

An investment of £140 million later, the whiskey making building is refurbished from a crippling cluster to a state-of-the-art production cum tourist hub. The new facility produces up to a third more whisky than its predecessor, with the 36 new copper stills built by Forsyths, which has been working with the distillery since its humble beginnings in the 1950s.

Shelves showcasing an impressive heritage Whisky collection.

The design features are impressive. Conforming to the surrounding landscape, the undulating green roof is planted with native grasses and wildflowers. Comprising of 380,000 pieces, it is one most complex timber roof structures in the world. Below, the building is strategically divided into five cells, each showcasing a modern modular approach. The distillery is also designed to be environmentally friendly, with 95% of the energy from renewable sources.

It houses a gigantic visitor space with interactive “pillars” showcasing the brand, a moving glass sculpture, and an incredible collection of 398 bottles. Tours to the newly constructed structure will be limited to groups of 12, providing an intimate experience of sorts to all those who set foot on the awe-inspiring Macallan distillery. Of course, there will be a bar and exclusive gift shop to complete the tour experience.

Edrington’s chief executive, Ian Curle, expresses his anticipation for the future of this project. “This is an exciting occasion for Edrington and The Macallan,” he says. “The unsurpassed quality of The Macallan is in high demand and we face the future confidently with this new distillery. It’s an authentic, abiding, ambitious investment that will match consumer expectations for generations to come.”

Tourism revenue is becoming a significant line of business for the industry, with whisky distilleries reaching a record of 1.7 million visits last year. New distilleries built from scratch are now often designed for visitors as much as for production, which would have been unheard of even 25 years ago.

Curle believes the new distillery will exceed expectations. “When the doors open in June, we expect this new Macallan enterprise to deliver significant benefits for the tourism industry, Scotch whisky exports, and the economy.”